Not Just a Shadow
by torischall
Summary: After being betrayed by Seirin, Kuroko Tetsuya joins up with the Generation of Miracle, prepared to become stronger and prove to them just how wrong they were. What will happen when Kuroko aims to become stronger? Will his efforts be in vain, or will he prevail in becoming more than just a shadow.
1. Chapter 1

"Should Kuroko even be allowed on the team anymore? Without Kagami he's useless. He doesn't have a strong light anymore and he's really just a burden." One of the second years asked.

"You idiot! Kuroko is a major part of this team! Without him, we would have never beaten the GoM. I don't care if Kagami is gone, Kuroko isn't useless! He'll find a new light, I'm not worried about him. Riko said, but I had already heard the annoyance in her voice. You could easily tell she didn't believe what he was saying at all. I sighed, turning around. It had only been a month since Kagami left for America, and the GoM went their own way to play as a team again. After all, they were the best in Japan, they had to keep that title. So they could face Kagami again.

Why hadn't I gone with them? Now I had no idea where they were, and my team had just abandoned me. Kagami wasn't here to cheer me up, he had left me, just like the entire team had done. Of course, it wasn't his fault. After all, he had been so kind to me over the years and it was his right to pursue his dream. Besides, I could always call him. We were still friends, just long distance ones.

"Don't let Kuroko hear you, coach, he might get an ego and think he's actually any good." That was the final straw. I turned away from the gym doors and signed in a resignation form to the basketball team. I snuck back into the gym and left the piece of paper on the coach's clipboard.

Making sure nobody would follow me or could see me, I headed to my apartment, tears streaming down my face. I collapsed onto my bed, calling the one person whom I knew could fix everything.

"A-Akashi-kun?" I asked weakly once he picked up. I could hear the others laughing happily in the background. "W-where are you guys right now?" I heard him draw in a sharp breath.

"Kuroko? What's wrong? You sound off, have you been crying?" The pause a took a deep breath, "We're a few hours away from you actually, why do you want to know?" I heard the commotion in the background stop, and silence ensued.

"I...I want to come with you guys. I-is that possible?" I asked hopefully, wiping away a few stray tears.

"Of course Kuroko, you're always welcome to join us, but what about Seirin?" Akashi asked a hint of concern in his usually calm voice.

"They….they don't need me anymore..I...I heard them talking about how I was just...just a burden since Kagami-kun left. Even the coach d-doubted me. J-just because I don't have a light anymore." I heard him mutter something under his breath angrily.

"I'll come to pick you up, pack your things and I'll be there in...three hours." With that, Akashi hung up. I sighed before sanding. I drew two suitcases from underneath my bed and started filling them with my belongings. I took one look at my seirin jersey and uniform and tossed them into the trash. I packed the rest of my clothes, before realizing I hated all of them. Oh well, I would ask Kise to help me shop for a new style later. I ran a hand through my hair, eyes narrowing as I stared at a picture of everyone in Seirin and me. I shook my head, before taking that, a picture of me and the GoM form Teikou, one with Kagami, and one of my parents. All of those were placed neatly within my clothes so they wouldn't get broken during the trip. Finding that I could fit no more in that suitcase I moved to the next one. I smiled as I took a basketball into my hands. It was signed by everyone on the GoM, including me. It was after the first game I had won on with Kise. Everyone had agreed that I hold on to it since I would be the least likely to lose it and take care of it. I placed it into the corner of my suitcase, recalling the fond memory of everyone signing it. Looking around my room I sighed. I didn't have much else t pack, as I was usually never home. I knew wherever Akashi was staying, probably his mansion, it would have a library. Discarding all my books, I dug out my photo album and placed it next to the basketball. My sketchbook was next, as well as my book on basketball techniques. I looked around my room before my eyes caught something I had missed. It was the trophy from Winter High. I felt a sob get stuck in my throat as I remembered how much fun it was. Shaking my head I picked up the trophy and held it my hands. I pulled it closer to my chest as I felt the pain well up inside me.


	2. Chapter 2

"Why did you have to do this to me?" I set it on my bed, before pulling all my books into a next stack. I found a cardboard box and placed everything inside it, the trophy on top. I saw an old book that I had missed and flipped through it. A picture fell from the pages and I caught it nimbly.

The tears finally fell again as I read the caption. It was a picture of everyone just after they had won winter high, one of the rare pictures where I was grinning widely at the camera. I let out a choked noise halfway between a sob and laugh. I stared at the picture for a long time before gently setting it inside the empty pages of my photo album. Closing my suitcase I left them downstairs by the door. Retrieving the box, I had one more step to make before Akashi got here.

Returning to school was hard. Club membered were just starting to leave, and nobody noticed me as I slipped quietly through the crowd. I made my way to the principal's room and knocked on the door. Eating a soft enter, I opened the door. The principal smiled at me as I entered and set the box down.

"What can I do for you Kuroko-kun?" she asked nicely and I managed a weary smile.

"Due to a personal matter, I'll be transferring to another school. I just wanted to drop by and donate a few things I can't take with me." I held the trophy in my hands and she looked shocked.

"Are you sure you want to leave the winter high trophy here?" I nodded.

"It wouldn't be fair to the rest of the team if only one member gotta keep it. I was thinking that you could put it in the trophy display case here at school since I won't' be keeping it. Is it alright if I donate these books to the school's library as well? The place I'm going will most likely have all these books anyway." I told her as she nodded. She took the trophy with gentle hands and set it on her desk to be moved later. She smiled slightly at me.

"Alright. I'll inform the school board you'll be transferring. Might I ask where exactly you're going? And why?" SHe asked, knowing I would never leave this school unless I had to.

"I'm going to join Akashi-kun and the others. He's picking me up in an hour. I'm leaving because...I want to play basketball with them again, and the team here does not want me anymore." She nodded knowingly and then smiled softly.

"Good luck Kuroko. I hope you find some comfort in those boys you're going with. I knew this day would come once Kagami left. It was only natural for the team to start to fall apart. Though this was sooner than I expected." She placed a gentle hand on my shoulder, "I won't keep you any longer. Go tell the librarian about donating the books, you wouldn't want to be late if your friend is going to be here soon." I nodded and picked up the box, closing door behind me. The librarian took the books gladly, as she didn't have any of them in her collection.

I passed by the gym on my way out to see everyone crowded around Riko as she just started reading the note. I winced as he sighed in relief as she read it aloud. I turned on my heel and stalked away as I felt bitterness well up inside me. This was just like last time. At least The GoM still cared about me. They never called me weak. They never did anything to hurt me! I returned to my house and waited. I heard a knock n the door and practically threw myself at Akashi. He looked surprised but returned the hug. After a second I pulled away blushing in embarrassment.

"S-sorry." He merely shook his head in amusement before grabbing one of my suitcases. We put them in the trunk of the car and I got into the passenger seat as Akashi drove.

"So tell me exactly what happened before you called Kuroko." I looked at him weird before opening my mouth to speak.

"Tetsuya." He looked over at me in confusion so I clarified. "I liked it better when you called me Tetsuya." Now it was his turn to be at a loss for words so he merely nodded, a faint blush on his cheeks.

"Anyway, Tetsuya," I smiled when I saw him roll his eyes at me, "What happened?"

"I was about ready to go to the gym when I heard them talking about me. One of the second years were complaining that I was too weak to be on the team. Coach didn't sound very convincing when she tried to defend me. I was just gonna leave but then one them...said the coach shouldn't let me hear her or I would start thinking I was actually good." I looked out the window, fists clenched at my side. Nothing hurt more than being rejected by your so-called friends


	3. Chapter 3

"You should get some sleep. It's late and the others are sure to be insanely rowdy when we get back. They were really worried about you, and I didn't think you wanted me to tell them every month yet." I simply nodded and let my head rest against the window. He chuckled lightly and I raised an eyebrow at him.

"What's so funny Akashi-kun?" I asked as he glanced over at me.

"Just wondering what your reaction to living with everyone else would be. All the team is staying at one of my private mansions. It was convenient that way. I think you'll be happy to hear that we have quite the library." I smiled in response.

"That's nice. What school do you guys go to by the way?" I asked curiously and I saw him look over at me again.

"We only have a week left until graduation so you won't have to go. I'll pull some string at your school to get them to send us your graduation awards. However, everyone is planning to go into a college called Seikou University. It's mainly based around sports. You'll have a week to get things together for the rest of us graduate so you can get caught up on things." I merely nodded and closed my eyes, effectively ended the conversation. I was necessarily asleep, always being a light sleeper, so the car ride was impossible. But it did help me space out, and before we knew it I was staring half wake, at a huge mansion.

"Come on Tetsuya, the others have been waiting for us to get back." I shook off my daze and grabbed my things from the back. Akashi led me to the door and held it open for me. Almost immediately I was tackled by a flash of blonde hair. I smiled when I saw his hair had grown out to its normal length again. He was pulled off me by a very annoyed Aomine, who merely gave me a fist bump which I gladly returned.

"Kurokochi!" Kise whined when he had been let go of.

"Hey, Kise." I smiled slightly at him, "You look better with long hair. It was weird seeing it so short." Kise smiled and laughed.

"I know right? I regretted the decision as soon as I did it, but I couldn't fix it. I'm never cutting my hair that short again." He put a hand to his hair proactively, making me laugh. Everyone froze and I stopped, looking at them oddly.

"What? I can laugh too." I defended, mildly offended at the shocked looks that I received. Akashi merely smiled lightly.

"Come on Tetsuya, let's go put your stuff in your room and find the others. I'm sure they'll be wanting to say hi as well." I almost laughed against at the shocked looks on the boys' faces.

"What are you so surprised about guys?" I asked them curiously.

"He called you Tetsuya." Aomine hissed quietly so Akashi couldn't hear as we walked.

"So? I told him to. It's odd hearing him call me Kuroko after he used my first name all the time. Besides, I don't really mind. I spend most of my time with you and Akashi-kun so it makes sense both of you would use my first name." I told him, explaining the obvious.

"I-I guess that makes sense." I merely smiled and turned back to where Akashi was heading to a light blue door. I noticed each door had a color matching the GoM's hair color and I smirked. You could really tell he had planned this out.

"Thank you Akashi-kun," I told him, before notices Midorima's door was open, and two voices could be heard.

"Mido-chin? When is Aka-chin gonna get back, I ran out of snacks." everyone smiled lightly and headed over to the room. Well, em and Akashi did. Kise and Aomine were arguing quietly a few feet away.

"Hello, Akashi," Midorima said, noticing him in the doorway.

"Kuro-chin!" Murasakibara exclaimed, ruffling my hair in greeting. I pouted slightly but smiled nonetheless.

"Hey Midorima-kun, Murasakibara-kun." I greeted, nearly laughing when I saw Midorima almost fall off his chair at our sudden appearance. It was definitely going to be fun.


	4. Chapter 4

"So Tetsuya, care to explain to them why you've come to join us?" Akashi asked once we were all sitting in the living room. Murasakibara was happily munching away on more snacks as I explained.

"Those idiots! how dare they do that to Tetsu!" Aomine growled in anger, and I merely smiled at him. I was about to say something before I noticed how tired I was, and yawned.

"Oh, that's right. It's getting late, all of us should really be in bed. Kise, you have tomorrow off for a photoshoot correct?" Akashi asked as Kise nodded.

"Alright, and nobody else is missing school except for Tetsuya since he's not going the last week before graduation. It would be pointless." Everyone nodded at that and I walked behind with Kise.

"Hey, Kise-kun?" I asked him, and he turned to me.

"Yeah Kurokochi?" he asked smiling at me. I rolled my eyes at his goofy grin and playfully punched him in the shoulder.

"How long is your photoshoot tomorrow and when?" I asked him as he quickly checked his phone.

"It's tomorrow evening at two. They usually last two or three hours, why?" He asked curiously.

"Because I was going to ask you if you wanted to help me shop for new clothes. I don't like my current clothing choice." Kise blinked before a wide grin appeared on his face.

"Sure, and I agree, your outfits have no style." With that, we parted and I spent a good twenty minutes unpacking things. I left my clothes untouched, but set the picture on the desk I Had. I put my photo album and basketball on the shelf above it, securing the basketball by setting it on its pedestal so it wouldn't fall. I glanced around the room, realizing with a start that I still haven't gotten a new laptop since my last one broke. I sighed and lay down, falling asleep almost instantly to the sound of muffled typing come from Akashi's room next door.

I woke early to the sound of a door closely rather loudly in the hall. Sitting up, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I tamed my wild bed head and slipped on the only outfit I had that actually looked nice. It was jeans and a loose-fitting black tank top. Since it wasn't too hot out I grabbed a dark red sleeveless hoodie. I was wearing slightly worn black converse as well. I ran a hand through my hair to smooth it down, deciding I needed a haircut. I opened my door to see everyone heading down to get breakfast. Akashi walked out of his room in the school's uniform and I smiled when he glanced over at me.

"It's nice to see you in something more than a t-shirt and jeans." He commented and I chuckled lightly, heading down to at breakfast. I sat in between Akashi and Kise, who was criticizing my outfit.

"I didn't know you had at least one fashionable outfit Kurokochi, maybe there is hope for your fashion sense." He teased and I pouted.

"Hey, I have good fashion sense. I just don't act on it." I grumbled, drinking my vanilla milkshake in silence after that.

"So what do you want to do first Kurokochi?" Kise asked as I finished the milkshake. The others had already left, wanting to get to school before the rush of students got too much to handle.

"Maybe a haircut first. My hair was much more manageable when it was shorter, flatter. It looked better than what it is right now." Kise nodded seriously before standing up. Kise was only wearing a black t-shirt and red jeans, but it looked good on him since it was probably an expensive t-shirt.

"I can do that here, let's go. Don't worry, I'm really good at doing hair. I cut Akashichii's when he mentioned it. That turned out fine didn't it?" He said when he saw my wary glance. Feeling relieved that he wasn't going to ruin my hair I stood and followed him to the bathroom where he expertly set to work on my hair. A few minutes later he had it trimmed tower it was still a bit fluffy but definitely looked better than before. It was flatter and my bangs were parted in a way that didn't look weird.

"Thanks, Kise-kun." I smiled at him as he set down the scissors.

"Now let's go get you some new clothes." He told me, practically dragging me out the door. We spent a few hours looking around shops before it quickly became noon. I had gotten quite a few outfits from Kise, who seemed satisfied with the amount of clothing he had bought me. I sat down, knocking something out of the pocket of my hoodie. Kise instantly had it in his hands and was looking at my glasses case.

"You wear glasses?" He asked in shock, opening it to reveal of pair of thin plastic frame glasses that were black. I looked down and blushed. I never wore them even though I hated contacts. I liked the glasses, it's just no one else knew I needed them.

"Y-yeah I do," I muttered looking up at him as he examined the glasses. "My eyesight isn't bad, I just can't read small print unless it's really close up. And not wearing them makes it a bit harder to focus on things for very long." He frowned.

"Then how come you don't wear them?" he asked me curiously.

"I have contacts. Nobody knew I needed to wear glasses, so even though I hate contacts I just dealt with it. I didn't want my team to make fun of me." He eyes the glasses than me, then the glasses again.

"I think you would look cute with glasses. You should wear them. Midorimachi can wear glasses during a game so it shouldn't be a problem for you. I don't think anyone would make fun of you for it." Kise commented seriously and I smiled, taking the glasses from his fingers. I looked down to hide my face as I took out the contact and slipped the glasses on. I put the almost invisible contacts in the glasses case and put the case back in my pocket. Kise actually looked stunned when I showed him the lased.

"Yeah, I like the glasses more than contacts. I can understand why Midorima-kun doesn't get contacts." I smiled and relaxed in my chair. I slipped quietly on my milkshake before I noticed the time. It was almost two,. "Kise-kun, you should get going before you're late to your photo shoot."


	5. Chapter 5

"See you later Kurokochi, I hope you had fun," Kise said before rushing off to the photoshoot. I smiled and stood, before heading back to the mansion. I noticed they had a basketball court in the back and grinned. No longer would be a shadow. I would learn to stand and be my own light. I would control my lack of presence so I would still be useful and not lose my misdirection. I hope Akashi would be happy that I was getting stronger. After all, they were so used to me only passing and using phantom shot.

Heading out back after dropping off my stuff, I grabbed a basketball. I only had a week to do this. And I couldn't practice my presence by myself so I would have to do that later. Right now, I could only practice. I stood from the farthest I could use my phantom shot and focused. Using phantom shot I knew I would make it in form this range, but I needed to do better than that. I was too close, I needed to extend my range just a bit. Just a little more. Taking a few steps back until I was at the three-point line, I opened my eyes and smiled. I shot the ball, and it bounced off the rim. But it was only the first try. I kept at it until I heard car doors slam. By that time, I was making three out of five shots from the three-point line. Sweating, but still full of energy I ended by messing around a bit. Dribbling the ball I rushed forward and jumped. It wasn't very hard, but I still managed to dunk the ball. I needed to jump a just a little higher, put more force. I had the arm strength for it. It only required practice. Not ready to tell the others, I continued to shoot phantom shots from my normal range, making every shot.

"Tetsuya." Akashi greeted when they all came out. I stopped shooting and smiled, turning to them.

"How was school?" I asked politely and Aomine merely grumbled.

"Don't worry about Mine-chin. He's got in trouble for falling asleep in class." Murasakibara said, offering me a vanilla pocky. I took it with thanks, biting off the end of it.

"I was not aware that you wore glasses Kuroko," Midorima stated, finally noticing what the other did not. Well, Akashi had probably just decided not to comment on them.

"I used to wear contacts, but Kise-kun convinced me that I didn't look stupid wearing these," I said with a shrug, not meeting their gazes.

"Anyway, it's getting late so we should start making dinner," Akashi said after a moment of silence. I put the basketball back with the others once inside and as everyone else made their way to the dining room I slipped into the bathroom to shower and try out some of the clothes Kise helped me pick out. I let the hot water run over me for a few minutes before I got out and changed into a simple light blue t-shirt and black jeans. I dried my hair quickly, knowing they were probably still waiting for Kise to get back anyway. My hair was still a bit damp, so it was much more flat than usual. I made my way to the dining room where Murasakibara was just finished with cooking dinner. Kise sat, still in his modeling clothes. When he saw the clothes I was wearing he smiled brightly.

"I knew those would look good on you Kurokochi!" He complimented as I sat down in between the usual people. I smiled softly back at him before I finished my presence almost completely. Midorima didn't even notice me as I sat down, his gaze traveling right over me. I suddenly made my presence return to that of a normal person, starting mIdorima, who had just passed over me a second ago. I increased my presence a bit more until it was impossible to miss me, and I wasn't the slightest bit invisible. I sat back with a smirk when my test proved to be successful. I had been practicing alone for a while, but I haven't gotten the chance to test it yet. Nobody had seemed to notice the little theory, as Akashi was preoccupied with talking to Midorima, and I fought the urge to sigh in relief. I didn't want to reveal my plans to them yet, even if they were my friends. I had only just gotten them all back and I wasn't keen on telling them I wanted to get stronger. They might think I was starting to change as they did. Or worse, they would try to stop me.

"I hope you're eating more than just a milkshake Tetsuya," Akashi told me, though his eyes told me that I better eat more. Hesitantly I grabbed a small amount of food and put it on my plate. It wasn't that I didn't want to eat, it was that I couldn't eat much. After forcing myself to eat everyone on the plate, I saw Akashi give an approving nod.

"So Tetsu, what were you doing on the basketball court without us, you should have waited until we got home!" Aomine said, earning a small smile from me.

"Just practicing. I still need to get a new laptop so I can't exactly do anything else besides walk around. I did enough of that with Kise-kun earlier anyway." I answered truthfully, making sure Akashi knew I wasn't lying.

"Well it is getting late again, so we should retire for the night. Tetsuya, you should go out and buy that laptop tomorrow if you need one." Akashi told me and I nodded. After everyone was in their rooms, I realized how tired I was from practice today. I really needed to work on my stamina, it was horrible. Not to mention my skills required a lot of, something I didn't have. I fell onto my bed and into a dreamless sleep before I could even change clothes.


	6. Chapter 6

I woke even earlier than last time, but I couldn't tell why I had woken up. I sighed, knowing I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway, and decided to go explore the mansion. Akashi had mentioned a library, and I wanted to find it. I got dressed in something simple, tamed my messy bedhead and opened my door. I made my way silently down the hall opposite the bedroom. It was one of the only places I hadn't checked yet. To say I was surprised to see that Midorima was already awake was an understatement. It was very early in the morning, not yet even six, so what was he doing up? He seemed to be on a computer with multiple books and pages spread out on the desk. Nobody else was around. I approached, making sure I was visible. He glanced over at me as I peered over his shoulder.

"Why are you in here so early in the morning Midorima-kun?" I asked curiously, seeing that a lot of the pages looked like homework. He sighed and leaned back with a yawn.

"I've been here for a few hours. History is by far my worst subject and I am determined to be at least second best for the exams. Akashi, of course, will end up being first." He said quietly, not throwing in his usual unneeded comment.

"Do you want any help? I'm pretty good at history." I asked him and he nodded. I silently pulled up a chair next to him and looked over his work. I had learned all of this already.

"So why are you up so early Kuroko? Not that I care." He asked after a moment as I looked over his work." I pointed to a few of his questions.

"These two should be switched, and this one is three years off from when the event actually happened." I told him, "And I woke up early, I'm a light sleeper. Once I'm up I usually don't fall back asleep." He corrected the mistakes in silence as he nodded.

"Everything else looks good Midorima-kun," I said as I leaned back. It had been awkwardly silent aside from the rustling of pages and the clicking of the mouse as he searched up documents for the work.

"Thank you Kuroko. I don't think I would have noticed the mistakes until after they got marked wrong." He sighed in relief before waxing again.

"You should get some rest Midorima-kun, you made those mistakes most likely because you were too tired to notice," I commented a moment later after observing.

"How did you know that?" He asked, shocked. I forgot they didn't know about my observation skills.

"Are you serious right now?" I asked, thinking he would have been smart enough to figure it out.

"I don't believe you ever told us how you manage to do that either Tetsuya. Do tell." I heard Akashi's voice and turned to look at him. Honestly, I was shocked they didn't understand how I did it.

"How do you think I pass to people so fast? I have to be able to observe everyone the instant I get the ball, and then have reflexes fast enough to pass it. Because of that, I have to be good at observing things. That way, I can tell who will be open after the pass is sent. Otherwise, it would get interrupted as someone was running. Not to mention I have to observe who will be able to shoot it as accurately as possible. I would've thought that Akashi-kun at least would have figured it out by now." I explained, talking more than I normally did. I saw a flicker of respect appear in Midorima's gaze.

"That's impressive. No wonder you're so good at observing things." The ghost of a smile appeared on my face as I stood up, stretching.

"Well, I'm going out for a bit. I'll see you after school Akashi-kun, Midorima-kun." I nodded towards them as I passed, immediately diminishing my presence so they couldn't see me. I passed by Kise just emerging from his room. He didn't seem to notice me as he walked down the hallway with a slight yawn, and I smiled. I slipped past him, heading out the door without a second glance. Still holding my presence I explored the town, noting that they had a Maji-burger here as well. Feeling hungry I entered the shop, and the cashier greeted me with a smile.

"How may I take your order?" She asked, so I told her a vanilla milkshake. After waiting a moment, she handed me my milkshake and I paid her, before heading out again. Casually drinking my shake, I wandered around, getting used to the layout of the town. I noticed a commotion going on in the park and went to investigate. What I saw left me smiling.


	7. Chapter 7

There was a streetball tournament that seemed to be just starting. This would be a perfect time to practice. Making sure my presence was known, I pushed through the crowd, seeing a few familiar faces.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked, and they turned to me smiling. It was Takao, Himuro, and surprisingly, Haizaki.

"Tetsuya?" Haizaki asked incredulously, while the rest looked at me gaping.

"Who, Kuroko you're style has changed a lot," Takao said with a smile.

"I thought you were still with Seirin?" Himuro asked and I winced at the name.

"Ahh, not quite. I left when they said they didn't want me on the team anymore. I'm joining Akashi-kun and the others at Seikou University." I said, unable to hide the brief look of hurt that crossed my face.

"Do you wanna join us for a game?" Haizaki asked after a moment and I smiled, nodding. "Kasamatsu was here as well, he went to go get something to drink. We'll wait for him and then sign up for a few games."

"Alright, it's nice to see you all again. It's been awhile." I said as we walked, trying to find Kasamatsu. The others agreed, but we were interrupted when my phone started ringing. I looked at the caller id and sighed, flipping it open.

"Hello?" I asked the person on the phone. I wondered why they would be calling me at this time. It must have been later in the day for them.

"Kuroko, what's up?" Kagami asked, "I got a text from the annoying blonde saying I should call you. Did something happen?" I frowned slightly.

"I'm guessing that's his way of telling me to explain. I left Seirin and am with Akashi-kun and the others. If you want to know more about what happened between them, ask them what amazing things they said about me behind my back Kagami-kun. I am in no mood to repeat what they said." I added with a hint of anger.

"Woah, ok. I'm guessing it must be bad if it made you leave. So what have you been up to with the rest of the miracles? Gotten any stronger?" He asked, and I could tell he was smiling on the other side of the phone.

"Actually Kagami-kun, I have. I only got here a few days ago, but I've been practicing extending the range of my phantom shot. I can now shoot from a little behind the three-point line. I've also been working on controlling my lack of presence. I can make people actually notice me so that's nice. But I tested it out earlier, and not even Akashi-kun noticed I had basically made myself disappear. And he always notices me." I smirked at the end when he laughed.

"That's good Kuroko, I can't wait to visit and see how much you've improved. Akashi and the others are going to be surprised next time they play with you, aren't they? Knowing you, you're probably going to surprise them."

"You know me too well Kagami-kun," I said with a laugh, effectively stunning the people walking beside me. "I have to go now, I'm playing streetball with a few friends." With an enthusiastic goodbye I hung up and slid my phone back in my pocket.

"Oh there you guys are, and I see Kuroko has managed to show u again. Kise told me you met up with them." Kasamatsu said with a smile.

"Come on, let's go play a game or two!" Takao cheered as he led us to sign up booth.

"Our first opponent looks tough. They've been on a winning streak this entire time. What do you say we give them a run for their money?" Himuro asked as we all cheered. Heading to the court, we waiting for the tip-off. The other team had gotten the ball, but almost instantly I finished my presence to almost nothing. I made sure to keep my presence up enough to where my team would notice me, but the other team didn't even realize I was there. I got the ball in my hands and calmly passed it back to Takao, who was waiting to take a shot. The first point was ours.

"Where did he come from? I didn't even see him!" I heard the crowd whispering and I smirked. The other team already looked outraged, so it should be easy. Once again I found myself with the ball, but since nobody else was open, I merely used the vanishing drive to get past my opponent and shot a phantom shot from behind the three-point line. My team cheered.

"Kuroko I thought you couldn't shoot from that far away? Have you been practicing that shot more?" Takao asked as I nodded.

"I wanted to get stronger, so while the others are at school I take the time to practice getting better," I told him as we waited for the ball to get back in play. To say we completely destroyed them would be an understatement. Between Takao's Hawkeye, and Haizaki's stealing ability, combined with my passes and shots, we were unstoppable. We tripled the teams score by the second quarter, and they couldn't score a single point for a sild quarter. In the end, the score was 100-15. It was fun to see that even though they knew they were going to lose they kept playing us anyway.

"That game was fun guys, but I need to get going. The others should be back from school by now and I still need to buy some things." I waved goodbye to them, and they smiled. Fistbumps were exchanged, as well as Haizaki's number being passed around. He had changed since I last saw him, and he seemed to genuinely enjoy playing basketball, instead of just doing it to hurt people.

"I'll see you around then Tetsuya," Haizaki called, as I slipped through the crowd, into the quiet streets of the city.


	8. Chapter 8

By the time I got back to the mansion, a laptop in hand, the others were already home. As I glanced out the window I saw them all playing basketball in the court, but I didn't' join them. Tired from the game before, I retreated to my room. I pulled out my chair and sat at the desk, flipping open my new laptop. I started looking up different misdirection methods I could implement into new moves. After all, that's how I came off with the phantom shot and vanishing drive. I found a new trick and practiced it until I could create a move with it. After an hour of finding nothing, I sat back with a sigh, running a hand through my hair in frustration.

"What are you doing Tetsuya?" I heard Akashi's voice from the doorway, and I turned, startled. I turned off my laptop and closed it before standing up with a small smile.

"Doing some research," I answered vaguely, and I could see it annoyed him.

"On what?" He asked, raising an eyebrow when I just smirked.

"A surprise, now did you want something Akashi-kun?" I asked politely, as he sighed and looked away.

"Aomine wanted me to see if you had arrived yet. We're all playing basketball in the back if you want to join us." He said though I could tell from his tone that he wasn't asking.

"Sure, what would the teams be?" I asked, getting an idea.

"Do you have something in mind Tetsuya?" He asked when he saw the look on my face.

"I was thinking of Kise-kun, you, and me to be on one team for the first game. I wanted to test out an idea." I answered after a moment.

"That can be arranged, what is this idea of yours, or is it another surprise?" Akashi asked as we made our way towards the court.

"Mhmm," I merely hummed, deciding not to answer that question.

"When did you get back Tetsu?" Aomine asked as we approached.

"An hour ago. I was doing some research on the new laptop I bought." I said, sending a glance towards Kise. I observed him closely, searching for something to tell me more information.

"The teams will be Kise, Tetsuya, and me," Akashi informed them, and I saw Aomine was about to complain.

"Only for the first game Aomine-kun. I wanted to test something." I answered, and before anyone could protest, the three of us walked to one side of the court. Since we didn't have anyone to keep score or do the tip-off, we let Aomine start with the ball. It wouldn't be a timed game, just the first to make twenty baskets.

I observed Kise carefully during the game and was surprised when I suddenly noticed something I hadn't before. When he copied Midorima he resembled Midorima's pose for a moment, only a bit more his style. Maybe….If I did that with my shots, that might work.

I made my way to guard Midorima like Akashi requested, while he was going one on one with Aomine. When Akashi got the ball he immediately passed to me, and I passed to Kise. When Kiss got blocked, he passed it back to me and from halfway across the court, I shot the ball. It went in perfectly. Aomine was gaping at me from across the court, but I said nothing. I had just copied Midorima's shot while using my own style. My idea had worked, and I was satisfied.

"Kurokochi did you just copy Midorima's shot?" Kise asked as I returned to the team.

"..." I didn't answer him, just merely glanced at him.

"Is this the theory you were talking about? What kind of research were you doing Tetsu?" Aomine asked, and I smiled lightly.

"I believe we are in the middle of the game, how about we continue this conversation later?" I asked, effectively shutting both of them up. The game resumed and I didn't try copy Midorima again. Instead, I watched Kise again when he copied the others and made simple notes in my head. I would have to write this down on my laptop later. It was currently sitting on the bench outside next to the others' things, as I had been planning to make notes. The only way for me to get better would be doing things like this. I would create shots that only I could do, that was a mix between everyone's styles. Once I saw how Kise modified the shots, and how the others made the shot, then I would be able to implement a new move.

I was not going to be just a shadow anymore. I would become the one that struck while the others focused on everyone else. I would be hidden in the shadows, but not part of them. Like I had always been, but different. I would improve.


	9. Chapter 9

It was silent when I woke up the next morning, which was confusing. I opened the door only to find it was late in the day, and the others were already at school. Going to the kitchen I saw some food had been left out for me, and it was still warm. Eating silently, I went over the notes I had made late last night on what I had observed. If I could practice this then I could do any shot and make it my own style. Maybe Haizaki could help me...no, he'd probably say no. He didn't seem to like the fact that I had been playing with them. I guess he still held a grudge against us.

With a sigh, I stood up and headed out back to practice. But it wasn't long before something unexpected happened. My phone started ringing, and I quickly make my way over to my bag, only to find that it was a call from Akashi.

"Akashi-kun?" I asked when nobody said anything. Something was off…

"Where are you right now?" That wasn't Akashi's voice.

"Who is this?" I asked suspiciously, it was nobody I knew at least.

"I am Seijuro's father. He can't talk right now but he asked me to call you." I thought it never, seeing that they had a somewhat similar voice. "Now where are you? Are you still at the mansion I let Seijuro use?"

"I am, why, did something happen?" I asked the bad feeling I had was growing stronger by the moment.

"Seijuro is currently in the hospital because of an injury during a basketball game today." My chest tightened, but I remained calm.

"Is he okay?" I asked, voice shaking almost unnoticeable.

"Seijuro is fine, but he is a bit out of it because of the medication they gave him. I didn't want to send him home if there was no one there to help him. He told me you weren't attending school, so I was hoping you were there." He explained, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"I understand, thank you for notifying me Akashi-san." I thank him and he hung up. I went around the front to wait, and a few minutes later a black car pulled up, and out stepped a man with bright red hair and eyes. He seemed like he was strict, but his expression was gentle and caring.

"It is nice to meet you Akashi-san." I greeted politely, and he said likewise. He went around the side of the car and opened the door. True to his word, Akashi seemed a bit out of it, almost like he was sleepwalking. I made my way over to help him, before looking over at his father.

"What exactly happened to him?" I asked, and he smiled slightly at the gesture.

"He got a nasty hit to the head it seems... Not bad enough to be a concussion, but he passed out for a few minutes. He'll most likely just sleep because of the pain medication they gave him, but I wanted someone to be there if he needed anything. The others wouldn't all leave school so I was a bit worried." He told me, before shaking my hand. He got back in his car and drove off as I gently took Kakashi's arm, leading him to the front door.

"Come on Akashi-kun," I told him as he yawned slightly. He didn't even seem to notice I was there, and I frowned in concern. He must have been really out of it for him to not respond to someone. "You seem tired."

"Tetsuya…"He murmured suddenly, his eyes widening. He seemed scared, and I realized he wasn't even seeing me. "Don't leave….Tetsuya." He murmured softly, a tear slipping down his face. Without thinking I grabbed his hands and held them up so he could them.

"I'm right here Akashi-kun. I won't leave you, I promise. Now come on, you need sleep." I felt bad for not doing anything, but I didn't know what I could do. I had never seen Akashi cry before, and the fact that he thought I was going to leave him hurt. Why was he crying though, what was he seeing? I let him this room and made him lay down. Almost immediately his body relaxed and his breathing evened out. Thinking he was asleep, I got up to leave. I stopped when I felt a weak hand grab my wrist.

"Don't….go." he murmured quietly, his eyes staring up at me. He seemed more aware than before, so with a sigh, I took his hand and sat back down on the floor, resting against the side of his bed. Humming softly to myself, I took the chance to look around his room. I saw a shogi board on one of the shelves and smile, of course, he would have one. He loved that game almost as much as basketball. I closed my eyes I let my body relax. His soft breathing being the only noise in the room, I felt myself starting to drift off.

"You'll never how much I love you….Akashi-kun." I whispered softly, and for a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of a smile appear on his sleeping face. I fell asleep before I could check to see. And that's how the others found us when they got home.


	10. Chapter 10

"Should we wake them up?" I heard Kise whisper quietly.

"I don't see a reason to, Akashi got injured so we should at let him continue sleeping." Midorima soft reply came, and I opened my eyes. Blinking away the sleep I ran a hand over my face, trying to wake myself up. I shifted slightly, muscles stiff from sleeping in the awkward position.

"Oi! you woke Tetsu up." Aomine hissed angrily, pointing to where I was trying to stifle a yawn.

"When did you guys get back?" I asked, ignoring the fact that Akashi's hand was still gripping mine as it hung off the bed.

"A few minutes ago, we wanted to check on Akashicchi," Kise exclaimed quietly, though you could see the hidden corner in his gaze.

"Is he okay? We didn't get much information on how bad it was." Midorima asked, and I smiled lightly.

"He's fine. Akashi's father dropped him off here, but he's just been sleeping the entire time. I would have messaged earlier but he wouldn't let me leave the room." I muttered, looking towards our interlocked hands.

"Has he eaten anything at all since getting here?" Murasakibara asked, and I shook my head.

"Then we should probably wake him up so he can eat something. You, too Kuroko." Midorima ordered, and I nodded. They all left the room as Murasakibara want to make some food, and the others want to do who knows what.

"Akashi-kun, wake up." I lightly shook his shoulder, but he merely groaned and rolled onto his other side, facing away from me. I pried his fingers off of mine, flexing them to get the feelings back. "If you don't get up no I'll break your Shogi board." I threatened, hoping to get a reaction.,

"You wouldn't dare." he had rolled over again to look up at me sleepy.

"Oh but I would. Now get up, you have to eat some food." I told him, and he frowned slightly.

"When did I get home, I don't...are the others back yet?" he asked, trying to remember what happened.

"You got injured in a basketball game so your father brought you home from the hospital. You've been sleeping this entire time, and yes the others just got back. They're making your food so you better hurry." I smiled when he pouted slightly. Too bad my phone wasn't one me or else I would have taken a picture. It wasn't every day you got the great Akashi-kun to look anything other than calm or angry. Heck, he was even worse than me.

"What's wrong with your hand?" He asked, seeing my clenching and unclenching it to make it stop being numb.

"Oh, uh, it's n-nothing." I stuttered, face turning the same shade as Akashi's hair. I turned away before he could see my face and took a breath to calm my racing heart.

"You're hiding something…." Akashi murmured to himself, though I still heard it.

"Does your head still hurt Akashi-kun?" I asked, trying to change the subject. He put a hand to the side of his head and winced.

"Not too much anymore, but it is still pretty bruised." He stood up, smoothing out his clothes, and together we went down to where the others were all waiting.

"How are you feeling Akashi?" Midorima asked as we took a seat.

"Much better now," Akashi replied, and Kiss grinned.

"I would be too if I woke up h-" I slapped my hand over his mouth and glared at him.

"Do not finish that sentence Kise-kun." I hissed in his ear and he nodded, face pale.

"What was that Ryouta?" Akashi asked, clearly curious as to what he had been trying to say.

"U-uh, nothing," Ryouta said, stuttering. He glanced between the two of us as if trying to decide who he would rather have angry at him.

"I don't think it's nothing." I heard the snip of scissors, but still, Kiss said nothing. Satisfied that nobody would say anything, I sat back with a sigh.

"Sorry Akashichhi, but getting ignite passed hurts more than scissors." Kiss knew the feeling all too well, I smirked when I saw how everyone's eyes widened.

"You actually used ignite pass on somebody Tetsu?" Aomine asked incredulously and I just nodded.

"During training camp, Kise decided it would be fun to wake me up at two in the morning, and you could probably tell what happened at that point. First time I think I've seen Kise-kun run away from me that fast." I commented lightly while adjusting my wristband. Aominepaled, and I saw a few of them trying to hold in their laughter.

"I don't know if I should be worried or proud that Tetsuya has a sadistic side," Akashi commented lightly, and I smiled.

"Learned from the best," I replied, before grabbing my vanilla milkshake and drank it.

"Remind me not to get on your bad side Tetsu," Aomine said after a moment, making Kise laugh. The rest of the evening was uneventful, as I had successfully made Akashi forget about what happened earlier.


	11. Chapter 11

It was the weekend now, and the others only had two days to go before they graduated. To say the atmosphere was tense would be an understatement. While Midorima and Akashi studied on their own, the others were left to fend for themselves. It was not going well. I could hear frustrated signs coming from both Aomine and Kise for the twentieth time as they struggled over their study sheets. Murasakibara was bent over reading from a large textbook, he hadn't touched his snacks in over an hour, too focused on trying to understand whatever it as he was reading. Tablet watched them suffer any longer, I head over to Murasakibara, knowing he was the one who was least likely to rip my head off in frustration.

"Do you want any help?" I asked when he looked up. I could see just from his eyes that he was majorly confused by whatever it was he was trying to read.

"Yes please, Kuro-chin. We're supposed to memorize this passage and explain it for the test but I don't understand any of it. Aka-chin and Mido-chin aren't here so I can't ask for help." He whined childishly.

"First of all, you should look up any words you don't know the meaning to," I handed him my laptop, which was open to display a dictionary website. "Try taking notes on things you don't understand and see if you can work it out. Also, if you do, don't touch any of the other text files I have on there." I told him, and he nodded, immediately typing in a large sum of words. Glancing down at the text I saw that it even had some words I wasn't too familiar with in there. No doubt he would have struggled. With a sigh, I headed over to where Aomine and Kise were working, knowing he would be able to figure it out on his own.

"Kurokocchi help us!" Kise wailed, throwing himself at me. I dodged him skillfully and sat down in front of them.

"What are you struggling with?" I asked with a sigh, already knowing what their answer would be.

"Everything!" They both exclaimed, and I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. This was going to be a long weekend.

"Let's start with your best subjects first. If I'm correct it's Japanese literature?" At their nods, I continued to point and align things on their sheets. By the time an hour had passed they were smiling and nodded as I explained things.

"Honestly, did you two even listen in classes? There is some pretty basic stuff you're struggling with here." I commented lightly as I added a quick note to the side of their papers.

"We did, but that damned teacher talks so fast and we're too lazy to ask questions," Aomine grumbled, With a shake of my head I moved onto the English.

"Thanks, Tetsu, you're a lifesaver." Aomine sighed in relief, while Kise moved to hug me again. I dodged and he fell flat on his face, just as Akashi and Midorima walked through the doorway.

"I see you all are working hard," Akashi commented lightly, making all of them freeze. I stood up silently with a small smile.

"Hello Akashi-kun, Midorima-kun." I greeted, before turning to leave.

"Kuro-chin, you forgot your laptop," Murasakibara called, back to munching on his snacks.

"Thank you Murasakibara-kun." I accepted the laptop, and a vanilla candy he pressed into my palm.

"Thanks for letting me borrow it." He thanks me, and I merely smiled before turning to leave.

"I trust that you two will use the notes to help you study? Because I'm not helping you tomorrow." I deadpanned, turning back to the two.

"Y-yeah we will. Thanks, Kurokocchi!" Kise said with a bright smile.

"Tetsuya, I would like to talk with you a moment," Akashi called, just as I was about to enter my room. I paused and waited for him to approach.

"Why don't we sit down then?" I asked, moving to sit on my bed. I left my laptop open on the desk, trusting Akashi would not try to snoop. He leaned against the wall, not even sparing a glance at the laptop as it left my hand.

"I wanted to thank you for yesterday, I know my father didn't really leave you much of a choice," Akashi spoke after a moment.

"It wasn't a problem, I would've helped anyway. You're my friend Akashi-kun." I responded, my blue eyes meeting his heterochromatic ones.

"I feel like I'm forgetting something Tetsuya," Akashi said suddenly, his eyes filling with something that made them burn with fire. I loved those eyes.

"Like what?" I asked innocently, while inside my heart was pounding.

"The part where I answered your statement from last night, Tetsuya." He advanced, his eyes never leaving my face. He strode across the room with an elegance that made my head spin.

"And what would your answer be?" I asked, albeit a bit breathlessly.

"I love you too." I saw red for only a moment before his lips crashed into mine.


	12. Chapter 12

That morning was spent listening to the silence of the early morning. Early morning light filtered through the closed curtains, but I couldn't bring myself to get up. My face was stained crimson as I remembered the events that had transpired the night before. The current redhead was asleep in the room over, so I took this chance to let myself think.

Lost in thought, I didn't hear the knocking on my door until my voice was being called.

"Kurokochi? It's almost noon, you gonna come play a game with us?" I heard Kise's voice ask, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"O-oh yeah, I'm coming," I called back, scrambling to my feet. Taming my atrocious bedhead, and getting dressed in something simple, I opened my door to find I had been sitting there for more than four hours.

Kise was waiting for me outside the door and he smiled when he saw I had finally come out of my room.

"Aominechi and Midorimachi are outside and we needed someone else to play. Murisakibarachi went to get more sweets and Akashichi refused." Kise whined and I just smiled lightly and looked away. Following Kise outside, we determined the teams. Aomine and me, versus Kise and Midorima.

Akashi's p.o.v -(Didn't expect that huh?)

"Kurokochi? It's almost noon, you gonna come play a game with us?" I heard Kise call out to Kuroko.

"O-oh yeah, I'm coming." He called back, and I heard him moving quickly. Now that I thought about it, he hasn't left his room all day. I wonder what he had been doing? I opened my door enough to see both of them disappear down the hallway. I was about to go back to my work when I saw Kuroko had left his bedroom door open. Curiosity got the best of me as I approached the door quietly. The first thing that caught my attention was the laptop he always had with him. It was the first time he didn't have it close at hand, maybe he had forgotten it? But what was he always typing into the files? Not to mention Murasakibara told me he had specifically said not to open any of the text documents on it.

Wanting to know, I cast a quick glance down the hallways before slipping into his room and sitting at his desk. I opened the laptop only to realize he had been careless enough to leave it on overnight. Smirking, I clicked open one of the text documents and my eyes widened. Percentages and numbers were the first things I processed before I noticed the writing. He had taken notes on all of us and collected data.

"Kise Ryouta, skill: Copycat, subject to observation? Is that why he wanted Ryouta on his team yesterday?" I asked myself quietly, scrolling through the stats. Finding nothing else of interest I closed out of it and opened the only other document on the computer.

"Ideas and techniques….interesting." I read the title as it loaded up. Immediately words filled the screen and I couldn't stop the audible gasp that left my lips. He was trying to copy our shots? Our skills? Why, and how?

"Kise's ability is subject to my observation- goal, find out how he copies shots and implement them into my own style." I read aloud, my shock increasing. Was this his way of getting better. "Stamina up, practice new techniques before graduation, work on controlling presence." I saw he was logging how much he could handle every day, only to find that he was practicing much longer than I thought he had been originally. He had done all this in just under a week? To say I was impressed would be an understatement.

"Aka-chin? What are you doing in Kuro-chin's room?" I heard a voice behind me, making me jump as I turned to look at Murasakibara.

"I was curious as to what he is always writing in this laptop. I'm going to question him on this altar, but for now, why don't we join them outside for a few games? Tetsuya's gameplay is about to get interesting." I said calmly, a faint glint of mischief in my eyes.

"Hm? Ok, Aka-chin, let's go crush them." Murasakibara answered, and together we headed off to the court.

When we got there we were pleasantly surprised to see that everyone was laughing and having fun, even Midorima and Kuroko, who for once sported genuine smiles.

"Akashichi!"Kise exclaimed when he saw me standing on the sidelines, a small smile on my face as I watched them. I smirked when I saw Kuroko's blush as he caught my gaze.

I could tell this was going to be fun as we joined in the game. I wonder how much Kuroko would continue to learn, he was finally starting to bloom as we had. I just hoped he didn't change like we had, or else we would have to al work to bring him back. And it most definitely wouldn't be an easy task when, no if, that happened.

With those thoughts in my head, we continued playing until the sun began to set, and we were too tired to continue. I sent a small smile over to Kuroko but grew concern when all I received was a glance before he frowned and looked down, fading into the background like a phantom. Would that change come sooner than I thought? Or would I be able to save him before it even started?


	13. Chapter 13

Kuroko's p.o.v- back to the norm!

I didn't miss the odd sensation of knowing someone was watching me. I raised my head to see Akashi smiling softly at me, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Frowning, I looked down at my hands, they were shaking.

Putting my hands into my pockets when I found I couldn't relax, I trailed behind the others silently as they walked, a question burning in my mind. What is wrong with me?

I knew that the others would grow concerned if I voiced my problems, but I still couldn't shake the sensation that something was going to happen. Something big, something that affected us all. But I didn't know the future, and I couldn't' do anything about it now, so I followed. Murasakibara set to work making a quick meal, already ap[icing a prepared milkshake in front of me. I smiled gratefully and took a sip, realizing how hungry I actually was. I was dimly aware that this was the first thing that I had eaten all day, but the thought soon passed to the back of my mind. My hands shook wildly, and I had to hold my cup tightly for a few minutes before the trembling ceased. A pounding, stabbing pain, had ignited behind my eyes and I winced, a hand raising to massage my temples.

"Tetsuya are you okay?" I heard Akashi ask, and I let my hand drop to my lap.

"I'm fine Akashi-kun, merely a headache." I lied, knowing this was much more than a headache. My vision blurred, and a sharp pain shot through my head. I bit my lip to keep quiet before a voice spoke.

"Are you sure you're okay Kurokochi, your hands are shaking." Kise pointed out on my right, and I bit back a sarcastic retort.

"I'm fine Kise-kun. I'm just tired and my head hurts a bit." I lied through my teeth, and I could see the concern in Akashi's gaze. And was that….fear? What would he be afraid of?

"_That would be me." A voice spoke in my head._

Not expecting the sudden voice I jerked slightly, making Akashi send a glance towards me. I busied myself in finishing my milkshake, wanting nothing more than to return to my room, where I knew prying eyes wouldn't linger.

"I'm heading to my room now." I started suddenly, setting down my half-finished milkshake. The pain in my head was beginning to worse, and I could hear echoing laughter in my mind.

"_But Tetsuya, "The voice said my name slowly, dragging it out unnaturally, "Where would the fun be in that?"_

"I don't know who you are, "The voice snorted, "But I'm not going to let my friends think I'm crazy." I bit back in my head, as the voice laughed.

"_Oh but your dear Seijuro already suspects something is off. He's read your laptop, I can feel it." The voice whispered, sending a shiver down my spine._

I slammed the door closed to my room with a bit more force than I needed, and I winced, a hand raising to my head, as the loud bang assaulted my ears. I collapsed onto my bed, curling in on myself as I pressed my hands to my ears, he was laughing and I wanted it to-

"Stop!" I gasped breathlessly into the silence of the room.

"_And why would I do that? I want to break you. I want to make them fear you. Even your precious Seijuro." The voice hissed with Malice._

"Who are you? Why are you doing this?" I felt tears staining my face as the pain doubled, and I gasped in pain.

"_I am you, and you are me. We are one in the same. I am your master! You will obey me." The voice hissed, and I felt him pounding at the walls of my mind, trying to get in._

"I won't let you win. I will not let what happened to Akashi-kun happen to me too. I know better than that." I got out between heavy breaths.

"_Now here's the thing, Tetsuya. I won't be giving you a choice!" The voice growled before a crack appeared in my defenses. "I will take over, and they're nothing you can do. The monster has awoken with your growing talents, just like. The. others. Don't you want to put them through the same pain they put you through? Let them fight to get you back. It'll be your revenge." The voice offered, and I felt my control slipping._

"No! Stop it! Stop!" I begged, voice weak and strained with the pain. If it was possible, I curled in on myself, even more, hands covering my ears, as if to block out the voice that comes from within me.

"_Oh but Tetsuya, I've already won." These words were wrenched from my mouth without my consent, but they were dark and full of hatred. Fighting to gain back control of my limbs I tried to rise of the bed, falling to my knees._

"Let go of me! I won't let you in!" I screamed, not entirely aware of what was going on around me. My eyes were shut closed as tears threatened to overflow.

"Tetsuya?!" I heard Akashi's panicked voice on the other side of my door before it was wrenched open. He was at my side immediately, and against my will, my hand rose and pushed him away.

"Get away from me. You're too weak to even say my name." I growled, my eyes wide with shock as I slapped a hand over my mouth.

"Stop please no…"I begged quietly, whimpering as the pain faded, only to be replaced by numbness. I saw another me standing in front of me floating in darkness. He gazes at me with cruel, mismatched eyes, one blue, one red. I was frozen in place as I watched him manipulate my body. It was like watching through a screen, detached, yet I could only feel sadness for what was happening. I was turning into a monster just like they had. And I had no power to stop it. I may have improved in basketball, but was it worth this? If only I didn't try to get stronger. Now everyone was suffering because of me, and it was all my fault.


	14. Chapter 14

Akashi's p.o.v- again

I couldn't tell what was wrong as Kuroko stood up to leave the room, but I knew it was more than just a headache bothering him. The room was silent as we watched Kuroko leave before it was broken by a slamming door.

"Kuro-chin seemed upset about something. Aka-chin there's something wrong." Murasakibara said, and I nodded my head. "Do you think he knows you looked at his files?"

"No, he can't possibly know that. He hasn't been back to his room, and I haven't asked him about it yet. I'm not certain about what's going on with him." I admitted, albeit a bit reluctantly.

"Should we send someone to check-" Kise's words were cut off by a muffled noise coming from upstairs. I held up a hand for silence.

"No! Stop it! Stop!" I heard Kuroko's voice call out, voice hoarse with pain. In a matter of seconds, I was out of my seat and flying up the stairs, the others close behind.

"Oh but Tetsuya, I've already won." I heard his voice reply, but it seemed darker, more malevolent. No, it couldn't be….could it?

"Let go of me! I won't let you in!" He screamed voice laced with pain and exhaustion. Whatever battle he was fighting, it was a losing one.

"Tetsuya!" I called, wrenching open his door. He was on his knees, hands digging into his hair as tears streamed down his face. Immediately I dropped to my knees behind him, reaching out a hand to do something, anything. But he had slapped it away, pushing me back.

"Get away from me, you're too weak to even say my name." He growled, his right eye flashing red for a moment before it returned to normal and he looked at me with horror. A hand covered his mouth, and he whimpered, muttering something under his breath. His eye color changed, and his body relaxed, arms dropping to his sides. His aura felt much darker, more powerful than it had ever been.

"Kuro-chin." Murasakibara murmured sadly, realized what had happened. Midorima stood frozen in place, face pale and hands shaking. Kise and Aomine seemed at a loss for words, as both of them wore matching looks of shock and fear.

"Seijuro." Kuroko purred, reaching a hand out to grab my face. His soft skin felt cold to the touch, and I shivered. His eyes shown with an animalistic hunger than paralyzed me. He was drawing closer to my face, and I felt my heart pounding in my chest. Closer and closer he leaned until he was almost on top of me. Just a little closer and….

"You really thought I was going to kiss trash?" He laughed, using the hand on my face to push me to the floor. He stood up slowly, glaring down at me with a burning hatred.

"Tetsuya, what are you doing?" I asked as he took a step back, eyes never leaving mine. He smirked, eyes glinting with insanity.

"I'm giving him his revenge my dear Seijuro. You all abandoned him and left him to get you back. Now I will make you work to get him back. Until then Seijuro, you've lost your lover. He may care about you but I do not. I will show everyone that we are not just shadows." He paused, and for a second I thought he was finished. "But that we are also monsters." He finished before he pushed past the others and was gone.

"Tetsuya….you were never just a shadow, not to us, to me," I called after him, but he never looked back. But as he turned the corner I caught of glimpse of his face, and for a moment. For just a moment, I thought I saw tears staining his cheeks, and sad, broken smile, stretched upon his face.

Then he was gone, and a deafening silence was all that was left of where memories were supposed to have been better. This wasn't supposed to happen, and though he knew it wasn't his fault, he couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, if he had been quicker to notice, to be there for him, this would have never happened.

But we would save him, even if it took a lifetime, they will try to get him back. But to do that, they needed help. And that help was a certain short-tempered redhead who currently had no idea what was happening. That would have to change for Kuroko to be saved.


	15. Chapter 15

For weeks there was no sign of Kuroko at all, which was worrying. He was always somewhere in the house, that much was obvious, but he never showed his face. Sometimes you would catch of glimpse of powdery blue hair turning a corner, but other than that he was invisible.

The house was usually quiet now, nobody ever being around together long enough for conversations to start. We spent every day we could practicing, and waiting with bated breath, for something to happen.

That something, or someone, was arriving sometime today, which was why we were now trying to spend every minute looking for Kuroko. Finally getting fed up I checked the basketball court, which was usually empty at these times. At first glance, nobody was there, but I had a feeling he was here.

"Tetsuya," I called out hesitantly, and almost immediately the said teen was standing in front of me, mismatched eyes boring holes into my mind. It was as if he was looking through my very core.

"What do you want?" He asked harshly, though with a hint of his usual politeness.

"Just thought you'd like to know that Kagami was coming sometime today, we've been trying to find you all week but you never showed yourself." I tried to throw in the subtle, why were you hiding, but he didn't respond immediately.

"I was avoiding you for reasons that do not concern you Seijuro." He stated bluntly, and I nodded warily.

"Fine, but he should be here soon, so will you please wait with us by the front door?" I asked, hoping he would agree. He let out a breath.

"Alright, but only because I've missed him." He said after a moment and began to walk back inside.

"Well, that went better than I expected," I muttered under my breath, and for a moment I thought I saw the ghost of a smile on his face.

"Akashichi you found him!" Kise exclaimed as we walked into where the others were all sitting.

"Kagami just called and said he be here in about a few minutes if he doesn't get lost first," Aomine smirked waving a phone.

"Why would I get lost Ahomine?" A voice exclaimed from the door. Everyone looked to Kagami as he entered the house.

"What did you call me Bakagami?!" Aomine exclaimed but was ignored. Kagami's eyes immediately went to Kuroko, who was smiling lightly at him.

"Nice to see you again Kagami-kun." He greeted as his former lights went over to him.

"You to Kuroko. Now, who wants to play one on one?" He asked arrogantly, and Kuroko actually laughed. I saw his eyes were no longer differently colored. Maybe, just maybe.

"How about you go against Tetsuya? I daresay he is able to hold his own against you now." I suggested, and I saw him smirk.

"Oh? How about it Kuroko? I believe you told me over the phone that you've been training hard." Kagami said ruffling his former shadow's hair.

"Don't touch the hair Kagami-kun. But sure, I would love to." He seemed relaxed and happy like he wasn't worried about the split personality. He fell back with me as everyone made their way outside.

"Sei-kun…"He started quietly and I jumped at the sound of my nickname, "please forgive me?" he asked questionably, fear shining in his teal colored eyes.

"Why wouldn't I? It's not your fault you got a split personality as I did." I answered quietly.

"But I hurt you. I was hiding from you all week because I was scared you would…."He trailed off, but I knew the end of the sentence.

"I would never Tetsuya. Now go play your one on one." I smiled affectionately as I ruffled his hair. He leaned into my touch a moment before pushing my hand away with a pout.

"Not the hair!" He whined quietly, "oh god I sound like Kise-kun now." He whispered in mock horror.

"Come on Kuroko, I can't wait to beat you!" Kagami called from the court and Kuroko hurried to meet him.

I watched as they played, both their own strength, neither one a light or a shadow. They were there on, nothing more nothing less. And no matter what, I would make sure Kuroko knew he was never just a shadow. To anyone.

THE END


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